Center plate structure



June 21, 1932. w. M. sHEEHAN .CENTER PLATE STRUCTURE Filed May ll. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet' l :HHUUI l June 21, 1932. w. M. sHEEHAN CENTER PLATE STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-5het Filed May ll, 1931 QN NM. QM \Q` PIII. |.II k l IMI@ in: t 1 N. \m w M a A x s /x/IHN mmh. lilla ln.; lllull ||||II|. .Nhxll f I I Il xvII w\ mm Q Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES rnaTEN'T OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN, OFLMERION, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION, OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION F DELA- K WARE CENTER PLATE STRUCTURE Application med May 11, 1931. Serial No. 586,602.

"6 cars, etc., in which the under rame forms the bottom of a tank structure.

In previous water bottom tender frames, it has been the practice to apply separate center plates with either rivetsor bolts and, in order to obviate the necessity of piercing the. tank bottom forming web plate, there have been provided bolting flanges spaced a short distance below the web plate. This has resulted in weakening the center plate structure and in raising the adjacent portion of bottom of the tank and consequently decreasing the tank capacity.

Center plates have also been cast integral with the underframe, but this construction 2 makes' machining more diicult. than ifthe center plate is formed separately and secured to the underframe' after machining.

The mainobject of the present invention is to provide a separately formed lcenter plate structure which ma be welded to the underframe after machining and which will aii'ord maximum strength and tank capacity. I attain this general object and others, later appearing, in the structure illustrated in the ac- I0 companying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top view ofthe forward half of a tender underframe' embodying my invention. l

Figure 2 is 'a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 2--2 of Fi re 1.

fFigure 3 lis a vertica vtransverse section taken on line 3--3`of Fi re 1.'

Figure 4 is a detail horizontalfsection taken -on line 4-#4 of Figure 2. Y

piece water bottom tender underirame inclu transoms 6 and 9, including vertical webs 7 and 8, and bolster 14. An imperforate horizontal web-10 extends the length and breadth of the casting, merging with the' webs oi the sills, transoms, and holsters, and forms the 5 end sill 5 is a pocket 11 for a spring builing directly during welding and to relieve .the Weld of In Figure 1 is shown a portion of a onev Asidesills l, intermediate longitudi-` nal s' s 2, center sills 3 and 4, end sill 5,

tank bottom. Formed integrally with the device and pockets 12 and 13 for a drawbar and a safety bar, respectively. All of the above structure is old and in itself constitutes no part of the present invention.

Bolster 14, extending from sideto side of the underframe merges with side sills 1, as at 15, and has a central deepened portion 16 for receiving the body center plate .27 which bears a ainst the truck center plate (not shown enter sills 3 and 4 and bolster webs in maintaining the rigidity of the reinforcing 7. l

structure.

A. substantially cylindricall recess 26 is formed in the bottom' plate of the bolster for receiving a cylindrical dowel 29 projecting from thllpper Surface of the center plate 27 which also has the usualrecess 28 in its lower A surface for receiving a corresponding pro'. jection on-'tlie truck center'plai'fe. The dowel 29 and the co-operating recess 28 need not necessarily be cylindrical but may be of an)y` suitable shape. The centerplate 27 is applied to the frame by inserting dowel 29 into recess 28 and welding the plate vtoa boss 30 surrounding this recess as shown at W. Dowel 29 serves to maintain the parts in alignment 85 horizontal forces set up'between the truck and the underfra'me during the movement of j the vehicle. p

:Byv this construction, the body center plate may be. conveniently machined separately frornthe underframe and when the center ypllate andunderframe are assembled, theimerframe will be positioned Y substantially lower than would be the case if bolting flanges f depending from the bolster bottom web and 9,5* the connection between truck and underframe will be substantially stronger.

The invention is obviously not limited to the exact construction of the selected embodiment shown and described, but' may be modii o f 47 and 8 form a boX at their intersection with- -in this depressed portion, as shown in Figure ino fied to various details without departing from the spirit of the invention and I contemplate the exclusive use of all such variai tions as come within the scope of my claimsi I claim:

1. A railway vehicle underframe including a bolster having arecess in the lower surface thereof, and a body center plate welded to said bolster and having an upwardly pro'ecting dowel inserted into said recess to hol the parts in alignment.

2. In combination, a railway vehicle bolster having a recess in the lower surface thereof and having a boss adjacent said recess and a center plate having a dowel projectlng upwardly therefrom and inserted into said recess to hold the parts in alignment,

thereof and a recess in its lower surface beneath said ribs,-a boss adjacent said recess, and a center plate having an. upwardly projecting dowel inserted into sald recess to hold vt-he parts in alignment, said center plate being welded to said boss.

5. In\a rallway vehicle underframe, spaced center sills, a bolster intersecting said sills and having a deepened central portion be-` tween said sills, and having a horizontalweb forming part of a tank bottom, a recess in said web and a center plate welded to said web and having a dowel projecting upwardly into said recess to hold the parts in alignment.

6. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced y center sills, a bolster intersecting said sills and having a deepened central port-ion between said sills having a bottom web forming part of a tank bottom, a recess in said web, reinforcing ribs in said deepened` portion, and a center plate'welded to said web and having a dowel projecting upwardly therefrom and inserted into said recess to hold the parts in alignment.

7. In a railway vehicle, an underframe member, and a center platewelded to said member, there being elements on said member and center plate having substantially vertical engaging surfaces to relieve the weld of horizontal forces arising from operation of the vehicle.

8. A railway tank vehicle underframe having a web forming the tank bottom, a bol- 4ster above said web, said web having an imperforate recess beneath said bolster, and a center plate welded to said bolster and having a portion itting into said recess.

assainir railway vehicle bolster having vertical and'horizontal webs forming a box structure at the center of the bolster, the lower horizontal web being recessed upwardly between said vertical webs to receive a center plate dowel, there being vertical reinforcing ribs extending between pairs of said vertical Webs and traversing `the recessed portion of said horizontal lower web.

10. A railway vehicle underframe including a bolster and a body center plate welded to said bolster, said bolster and center plate having interengagingelements to hold theparts in alignment independently of the welded joint.

11. In combination, a railway vehicle bolster having a boss on 'its lower surface, and a center plate welded to said boss, said bolster and center plate having interengaging Yelements to hold the parts in alignment 1ndependently of the welded joint.

12. In a railway vehicle, a bolster having reinforcing ribs above the center portion thereof, and a center plate welded to said `bolster, said bolster and center plate having interengaging elements to hold the parts inalignment independently of the welded joint.

13; A railway vehicle underframe including a bolster member and a body center plate.

member welded to said bolster member, one of said members having a recess and the other of said members having a dowel adapted to be inserted into said recess to hold the parts in alignment independently of the welded jolnt.

14. A railway tank vehicle underframe having a web forming the bottom of the tank, and a center plate welded to the underside of said web, there being interengaging elements on said web and center plate to hold the parts in alignment independently of the welded joint. A c

15. In a railway vehicle underframe, a substantially horizontal bottom web having a recessed portion for receiving a complemen- 

